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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088050">Revelation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sivan5733/pseuds/Sivan5733'>Sivan5733</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Danny Phantom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family Feels, Gen, Happy Ending, Maybe redemption..., Reveal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:09:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,565</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sivan5733/pseuds/Sivan5733</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One long night for the team ends up with an unexpected revelation for the Fentons.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong><span class="u">Revelation</span></strong>                                                                                                                         by Saiyasith 2021</p><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own it. I just play in the beautiful sandbox left to me by the creators of the show.</p><p>A/N: This is my first DP fanfic. I hope I get it alright.</p><p>
  <strong> <span class="u">PROLOGUE:</span> </strong>
</p><p>Maddie scowled. “This is the <em>third </em> time today we’ve lost Phantom! I just don’t know what to do. There has got to be some way to get a drop on him.” She shook her head. “We can’t just keep letting him run loose in our town!”</p><p>Jack put his arm on his wife’s shoulder. “C’mon honey, let’s drive around town again. If we don’t find anything, we can have a late dinner, and maybe think things over once we’ve had a chance to calm down.”</p><p>It was unusual for Jack to be the voice of reason. It spoke volumes as to how agitated the woman in the hazmat suit was. With a deep sigh, her attention turned towards the conspicuous RV parked on the curb behind them. She briefly wondered if they’d ever get their hands on the teenage ghost.</p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Danny, Tucker, and Sam sat under a tree near the park. The trio had quite the eventful evening. First it was the Box Ghost, then the Fentons showed up and tried to capture Danny. After he got away, he found Tucker and Sam fighting off another random ecto-entity. A battle ensued, and once again, right at the end of the battle, the Fenton RV showed up with the determined ghost catchers inside. The Phantom trio quickly disappeared just as the first shots of the Fenton Blaster ™ were fired. They were sitting down discussing the evening when Cujo found them at the edge of town and started pulling up trees to play fetch. Danny had to calm him down before sending him on his way back to the ghost zone. Maddie and Jack had arrived just in time to see Phantom playing with the ghostly pup; they charged the ghostly duo, but their ideas of capturing a specimen were dashed when a rip appeared in the sky. A werewolf ghost stepped out of the tear and Phantom glanced at the RV before disappearing into the rip with both ghosts in tow.</p><p>Sullenly, the Fenton elders decided to patrol the town, in case Phantom made another showing that night. Their RV screeched to a halt to avoid a motorcycle that screamed across the road in front of them. “Ghost!” Jack cried. Grabbing their gear, they hopped out of the vehicle and headed in the direction of the motorcycle.  By the time they arrived in the nearest clearing, however, Phantom had appeared and was battling the motorcycle-riding spook.  “Alright, Johnny. You know you don’t belong in <em>my</em>  town. Are you going to go quietly? Or do I have to make you?”</p><p>The other ghost’s answer was an ecto-blast to Phantom’s face. The teen ghost flipped backwards and hit a tree, hard. He floated up and shook himself off. The green of his eyes burned brighter. He returned the ecto-blast with vengeance and knocked the rider to the ground, leaving a furrow in the grass.</p><p>The scientists were shocked into silence witnessing the battle. It was fascinating. Something drew their attention away from the fight; they noticed Tucker and Sam standing by the opposite edge of the clearing. They were just kids! What were they doing there? Were they helping the Amnity Park ghost? </p><p>Their question was answered when Phantom hit the rider with another ecto-blast and yelled, “Sam, NOW!” The goth pulled a Fenton Thermos ™ from –somewhere- and with a practiced movement, pulled the ghost into containment.</p><p>“Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about,” Tucker grinned, typing something into his PDA.</p><p>Danny just sighed. It had been a long night and he was late for curfew again. “C’mon guys, let’s call it a night and get home.” The ghost sank to the ground and a bright ring of light appeared around his middle. It quickly spread up and down his body, revealing one tired and sore Danny Fenton.</p><p>In their hiding place behind a large bush, two scientists stared in shock and horror at the retreating trio. Was this their son??? What? How? When? The implications were too overwhelming for the Fentons; Maggie sank to her knees. “Oh Jack,” she cried, “What have we been trying to capture and eliminate all this time?” Tears streamed down her face.</p><p>An unusually solemn Jack answered, “I think that question should be <em>WHO</em>?”</p><p>END PART ONE </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. SILENCE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Fentons each react to their discovery. Danny, still unaware of the storm that had been unleashed, goes home.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <span class="u">SILENCE</span>
  </strong>
  <span class="u">: </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">Chapter 2</span>
</p>
<p>A very subdued couple walked slowly to the garish Fenton RV. The woman was sniffling and occasionally hiccupped a sob. The man in the hazmat suit beside her rubbed her back as they trekked back to their vehicle. Slowly, they opened the doors and sat in their seats. The click of seatbelts was loud in the normally riotous vehicle. Maddie stared at the floor, her eyes lost and her mind adrift. Her son! What?! She didn’t, couldn’t understand what she had seen. Fear and confusion warred within her. How could anything ever be all right again?</p>
<p>Jack let his hands drop from the steering wheel. He made no effort to turn on the RV. He sat stunned at the thought of all of the horrible things that could have caused this…situation. <em>Why didn’t Danny tell us??</em>  He snorted at the remembrance of all the threats he had thrown at Phantom…no, at his SON, at Danny. <em>It’s no wonder he’s never said anything. The way we’ve been acting, he’s probably terrified of us.</em> With that thought and the horrible feeling of being a bad parent, Jack reached for the ignition. He had to get home to his family. He had to make sure they were safe…that Danny was safe. Oh, how he had failed his son! But tomorrow…tomorrow he would sit down and have a much-needed heart to heart with his boy. He had much to make up for.</p>
<p>Danny wearily trudged up the stairs and stared wistfully at the shower, but he was too tired and the bed too inviting. At least his parents weren’t home to yell at him for breaking curfew again. He didn’t need to get grounded. The halfa pulled off his clothes with a wince. His back was still sore from the fight with Johnny 13. Danny groaned as he pulled on his pajamas. Sleep. Sleep would make things better. As he was pulling the covers up to his chin, he heard the rumble of the Fenton RV entering the driveway. <em>At least I dodged one bullet tonight, </em>he thought. He slipped into sleep before he even heard the door slam, resting before the storm that he had no idea was coming.</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>Once in the house, Maddie headed straight for the lab. She grabbed every research book that could possibly have an answer and put them next to the computer. She started a web search for “people who can change into ghosts”. She was beyond her tears now. It was time to understand, time to find a way to fix her son. There was no time for sleep.</p>
<p>Jack understood this. He slipped past the lab and into the kitchen. Maddie wouldn’t sleep tonight; neither would he. Coffee was very much needed for the long night ahead.  He began to think about what equipment he would need to help figure out Danny’s problem. He wondered if some of their equipment was to <strong>blame </strong>for Danny’s problem. Inventing. It was what Jack did best. It’s what brought him peace. So, of course, it was what he turned to after delivering Maddie her coffee. Both of them had work to do.</p>
<p>Other than the occasional ping from the computer and the sounds of tinkering and page turning, the house was strangely quiet. Normally when the couple worked in the lab, they talked, joked, and tossed ideas at one another. It was a constant flow that kept the Fentons deeply in tune with each other. Tonight, however, the near-silence was deafening. The quiet was excruciating, but neither Maddie nor Jack could bring themselves to speak. Because then they would have to talk about <em>IT</em>…about Danny. It was too soon, far too soon to talk about it, but they wouldn’t have a choice come morning. Danny had to be confronted. They needed answers.</p>
<p>END PART TWO</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: I realize that these chapters are short, but I am changing the chapters where I feel a natural break. Some will be much longer than others. I’ll update as often as I can. It’s easier with shorter chapters anyway, and I don’t feel rushed. Catch you soon…</p>
<p>Saiyasith/Saiyamom/Jenjams</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. BREAKFAST</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The morning brings everyone closer to the truth.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>BREAKFAST:</strong>
</p><p>A warm beam of sunlight made its way into Maddie’s vision. It would be soon. She would finally get some answers after a long night of failed searching. With a heavy sigh, she got up from her worktable and turned to her husband. As if he could sense her gaze, Jack looked up and stared into his wife’s eyes. Wordlessly, they nodded at one another, reaching for each other’s hand, reaching for comfort. Together they walked up the stairs and made their way into the kitchen.</p><p>“Maddie,” the orange-clad man said. “I think we should do this gently; maybe we could have a nice breakfast together before we bring up…the issue.”</p><p>The mother of the halfa took a deep breath as she thought about her husband’s words. “I think…I think maybe you’re right. Danny won’t be up for another hour or so; that will give us some time to prepare everything. I don’t think he should go to school today.”</p><p>Jack briefly thought of his wife’s cooking abilities. While she was a phenomenal scientist, meal preparation was not her strong suit, to say the least. “How about instead of cooking, I go get some donuts? Donuts and coffee would be a nice breakfast treat for everyone.”</p><p>“Donuts, huh?” the woman asked. “I guess that’ll work. I’ll make some fresh coffee, and we can talk when you get back. We need some idea of where we’re going with this discussion anyway.”</p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Danny drifted closer to consciousness. <em>Mmmmmm….is that coffee…and donuts???</em>  The delicious smells coming from downstairs pulled him into wakefulness. He stretched out his arms, testing his muscles for soreness from last night’s fighting. He was pleased to note that his accelerated healing due to his ghost half had completely removed all of the uncomfortable aches that he had gone to sleep with. He took a deep breath. <em>Definitely coffee and donuts!</em>  His stomach rumbled reminding him of all the energy he had expended last night. With a grin, he got out of bed and headed downstairs for a nice breakfast treat.</p><p>The creaking on the stairs alerted the ghost boy’s parents that he would soon be joining them. Maddie caught sight of Danny first. Her eyes flashed with emotion as her heart did flip-flops inside her chest. She grabbed Jack’s hand and squeezed. The man followed her gaze and drank in the sight of his son…alive and apparently well. With a strong sense of determination, he forced a smile on his face. “Good morning, son. Your mom and I have been talking and we wanted to do something special for you this morning.”</p><p>A little confusion and a flash of fear tore through Danny. <em>Something’s up.</em> He thought. The halfa decided to play along until he could figure out what was going on. “Good morning Mom, Dad. What’s the occasion? You hardly ever get donuts on a weekday.”</p><p>Maddie gave a small smile. “Why don’t you pour yourself some coffee and get some food in your stomach. We can talk after.” <em>You’re going to need your energy to answer all of our questions.</em> “I think Dad got some with sprinkles.”</p><p>Danny gave a weak smile and turned towards the coffee pot. He took a deep breath as he slowly poured his cup. Something was going on and he had no idea what it was. <em>Was something wrong with Jazz?</em>  He wondered. His sister had been on a school trip for the last few days, and he hoped she was alright. Worry for his sister got the better of him and he turned towards the table. Sitting down, he grabbed a few of the fried pastries and began to eat. He was conflicted; he wanted to know what this was about. But, his parents seemed reluctant to talk before he had finished his meal. Danny debated whether or not to take his time with his food. Unbidden, the words, <em>"your mom and I have been talking..." </em> ran through his mind. Suddenly, he was not in a hurry to find out why his parents looked like they hadn’t slept in a week and why they were plying him with junk food.</p><p>After the last, lingering bite, he licked his fingers and finished his coffee. He pushed down the apprehension and looked directly at his parents. “Ok, I’m done. Now what’s going on?”</p><p>END PART THREE</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. THE TALK</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>So the truth comes out. How do the Fenton's react?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <span class="u">THE TALK</span>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>Everyone sat in their chairs. No one was really ready for the revelations sure to come, but bravely, Jack started. “You know, back in the beginning, we <em>thought</em> ghosts were real, but we honestly didn’t know for <em>sure.</em> We were determined to prove it- to make a legitimate science out of it. All of our inventions were made on theory, theory that we hoped to prove when we had access to the ghost dimension. We got really discouraged when our portal didn’t work, and we thought that maybe, just maybe, we had been wrong all along. Then the portal suddenly started working and ghosts began showing up.</p>
<p>“When our new Fenton Ghost Finder activated in the kitchen one morning, it pointed to you and your sister. I mistakenly thought Jazz was a ghost in disguise. Your mom and I totally overreacted and set out to capture this “ghost” masquerading as our daughter. When we got to the school the day of the meat attack, the Ghost Finder again targeted you, but your sister wasn’t around. I decided that the stupid invention of mine was just not going to work, and I was about to give up completely on my life’s  ambition when the most miraculous thing happened. The Ghost Boy showed up! I was so excited! Ghosts <strong>were</strong> real, and one was right in front of me. I <em>had</em> to catch it. Just as much to study it as to prove that I hadn’t wasted my entire adult life. But the ghost, Phantom, as he called himself, was tricky. No matter how hard we tried that day, and many other days, we were never able to capture him. I started to get resentful and angry at him because we wanted him for study but he was too elusive. We never thought about the morality involved. We didn’t see ghosts as individual beings with a different sort of life; we never considered that ghosts might have a real consciousness. To us, they were just leftover after-images of a person that had died, simply infused ectoplasm at best. We were wrong.”</p>
<p>Maddie took over, “You see, Danny, last night, we were at the clearing when you were fighting that motorcycle ghost. We saw the teamwork between Phantom, Sam, and Tucker. We saw how he was fighting to protect the others. Most importantly, we saw YOU.</p>
<p>“When Phantom transformed into YOU, it hit us that our son, our SON, had somehow touched death. We realized that whatever happened to make you this way could have taken you from us forever. The thought that we might have had to <em>bury</em> our baby nearly tore us apart. The memories of all we’ve done to Phantom in the time since we “discovered” him, it almost broke us. What kind of parents are we, that we couldn’t see what was happening right under our noses? How did we miss such an important thing that had happened in your life? We don’t understand this, not at all, not yet, but we want you to know that we are <em>grateful</em>  that we still have you around, ghostly or not. We love you, Danny, no matter what. We are going to do everything we can to help you.”</p>
<p>Danny’s jaw dropped.  He had no idea what to say. <em>They know my secret, they know my secret, they know my secret, </em>was all he could think. Silence reigned at the table. Jack and Maddie stared with sad, troubled eyes at their son. Danny could barely look at his parents. Shock and fear warred with confusion and hope in his heart. “Uh…”</p>
<p>“Son, we know what we saw, don’t try to deny it.” Jack said.</p>
<p>“We want to understand this. Can you tell us what happened? How can you be alive but also be a ghost? Was there something that we did that caused this?” Maddie’s heart lurched at the last thought.</p>
<p>The ghost boy blinked. His mouth dropped open again as he tried to form words. His mind was a hurricane, and he desperately needed to find some kind of calm, some way to focus.</p>
<p>Tentatively, Maddie stood and reached for her son. When he didn’t flinch away, she pulled him out of his chair and into her arms. Jack quickly leapt to his feet and sandwiched Danny in a three-way hug. Tears of relief started dripping from Danny’s eyes. <em>It’s been so long. I don’t have to hide anymore. Oh wow, I don’t have to hide anymore. They still love me, even ghost-me. I don’t have to hide anymore! </em></p>
<p>His parents held him close as he cried. Their tears mingled with his on the floor. No one noticed; no one cared. The secret was out and things were going to be ok. The family stood for minutes or hours, just being together in the truth. They had a long ways to go to get back to whatever “normal” was going to be for them, but they had each other. That’s what mattered. Danny whispered, “I love you too Mom, Dad. I love you too and I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before you found out on your own.”</p>
<p>“It’s going to be alright, son. WE’RE going to be alright.”</p>
<p>END PART FOUR</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This turned out to be much, much longer than my previous chapters, so I'm splitting it in half. Posting both parts today.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>More talk at the Fenton's table. Just what happened that day at the lab?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE</strong>
</p><p>Much later, the trio sat around the table with fresh coffee. There were questions to be asked, answers to be had. “Can you tell us what happened?” Maddie asked.</p><p>Danny took a deep breath. “You’re not going to be very happy with me,” he said, chagrined. “One afternoon, when you guys were out of the lab, Sam and Tucker came over. We were bored, and someone suggested that we go explore your lab…”</p><p>“But you know that’s off-limits!” His mom cried.</p><p>“Yeah, I know, but we were stupid. And do you seriously think that every teenager actually <em>listens</em> to their parents all the time? So the three of us went down into the lab and looked around at stuff. We were laughing and kidding around when Sam noticed the Fenton Ghost Portal ™. She asked about it, and I told her what it was supposed to do. She looked really interested, but I had to tell her that it didn’t work. I don’t remember exactly whose idea it was for me to go into the portal, but I really wanted to impress her and look cool in front of my friends. When I finally decided to do it, Sam insisted that I put on a hazmat suit for safety, just in case there was radiation or something. Nobody thought that anything would happen.</p><p>“It was just dumb luck that caused the accident. I tripped over some wires, and my hand slapped against the ON switch. And whose idea was it to put the ON switch <em>INSIDE</em> the portal?? I mean, really. Dad, Mom, I know you guys are smarter than that, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. What <em>does</em> matter was the however-many-thousand volts of electricity running between the ON switch and my body. Oh god, that HURT!”</p><p>Horror flared in Maddie and Jack’s eyes, and they guiltily looked at one another before turning back to their son. “We are so sorry Danny. We never thought…”</p><p>His mom interrupted her husband, “You’re right, honey. This accident was on our poor design. It wasn’t your fault. Please continue.”</p><p>“Ok,” the halfa sighed. Well, after what seemed like forever, I blacked out to the sound of Sam and Tucker’s screams. They thought they saw me die. When I woke up, I was…different. My hair was white, my eyes were glowing green, and my suit had changed colors. I didn’t know what was going on. I kind of freaked out. I stepped out of the portal, which was now working, by the way, and the guys grabbed on to me, checking me out. They were as clueless as I was. We didn’t know if this was going to be a permanent change, or what. When I started to slowly float off the floor, we all guessed that I had died and become a ghost. We were half-right. After several minutes, this white energy ring appeared around my middle and then split, going up and down my body. Suddenly, I was human again. It was totally weird. We didn’t know what to do, so we got out of the lab quick and hoped that the ghost-thing was a one-time happening. It wasn’t.</p><p>“The next month was a nightmare. Ghost powers kept appearing and disappearing. My arm would go intangible at the table and fall through. At school, my hands would go intangible and I’d drop stuff- that’s how I broke so many beakers in Chemistry lab. Sometimes, I would fall half into the floor and either Sam or Tucker would have to pull me up. They stayed by me every minute they could. They felt like the accident was their fault, so they decided to help me through the aftermath.</p><p>“The first time I changed back into a ghost, I didn’t know what to do. I just kind of stood there in my room staring at myself in the mirror. When I started to float, I decided to see just what I could do with that power and I found myself flying up. I made myself intangible and went right through the house and into the sky. It was nighttime, and the view from above the clouds was amazing. I never wanted to lose that feeling, the feeling of freedom and beauty. It was the first time I thought that things might just be ok.” The halfa drifted off into the memory a perfect evening; his parents were caught up in his story.</p><p>Eventually, Jack broke the silence, “Son, we need to figure exactly what happened during that portal accident if we ever want to have a chance at fixing it.”</p><p>“Fixing it? Fixing it!” Danny burst, incredulous. “NO WAY! I am working on managing my powers! I have a purpose! This was <em>supposed</em> to happen, somehow. This was fate!”</p><p>“Danny, be reasonable. We don’t even understand what happened to you yet! We don’t know what using these <em>powers</em> is doing to you. How can you keep risking that? How can you even say that there is a purpose to all of this?” his mother cried.</p><p>“Mom, listen, remember when we first started talking this morning, and Dad mentioned the day with the meat ghost? Actually, she’s known as the Lunch Lady, but never mind. That day, I saved Sam from her; I saved the whole school from that ghost. That was the day I realized that it was my responsibility to keep people I love and the people in the town safe from the things coming through the ghost portal. Someone needs to, and I do it the best. Why else would I have these powers that no one else has?”</p><p>With a huff, his mother snapped, “What do you think <em>we</em> are doing?? What do you think all of our inventions are FOR? It’s <em>our</em> job to protect the town from the things coming through <em>our</em> portal. We caused this mess; it should be our job to clean it up- not our child’s. For goodness sake, Danny, you’re just fourteen years old!”</p><p>Angry now, Danny yelled, “I DON’T WANT TO GIVE UP MY POWERS! People need me; this town needs me! I won’t let you take that away from me!”</p><p>“Son, listen, we can work things out, work together, maybe. But we can’t let you do this alone anymore.” Jack replied, for the moment, the voice of reason. “I think we’ve talked about this enough for right now. We all need a break; we need time to digest this. We’ll talk again after dinner. Do you want to go visit your friends? Maybe talking to them will help you understand our point of view. Your mother and I will be in the lab trying to make sense of this…information, this…situation. Just remember that we love you, and we want what is best for <em>everyone</em>. You are more important than this town, son. Remember that. Now, go see Sam and Tucker and feel free to invite them to dinner tonight. We have a lot more to discuss, but now is not the time. And try to stay out of trouble, ok?”</p><p>Danny sighed, anger gone. He gave his father a weak smile. “Alright, Dad. I know this is hard on everyone. I think a break is a great idea. We’ll be back for supper. Oh, and if you don’t mind, can we order pizza? I don’t think this is the best time for you guys to be cooking.”  <em><span class="u">Especially</span> not mom!</em></p><p>Maddie answered, “Pizza sounds wonderful, honey. Go on and visit with your friends, but PLEASE stay away from any ghosts until we can figure something out.”</p><p>Danny turned with a half-hearted wave and walked out the door without a reply.</p><p>END PART FIVE</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. WHO AND WHAT YOU KNOW</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The long-dreaded night begins, but maybe it's not so bad. Revelations...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this took so long to get out. It was Passover week, and I was really busy with preparations for that, and then I had some computer trouble. Things should go more quickly now.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sam, can you meet me at Tucker’s house in about 20 minutes? It’s kind of an emergency.” Danny kicked a rock on the sidewalk. “My parents <strong><em>know</em>.</strong>”</p>
<p>“WHAT?! Oh God, Danny- are you OK?? Have they done anything to you?”</p>
<p>After a deep breath, he replied. “No, nothing so far, but they want you guys to come over for pizza and the ‘discussion’ we’re going to have after. I’m afraid they want to get me in the lab. Dad actually asked me to bring you guys. He’s handling it better than mom; I think he wants me to be more comfortable with whatever’s coming tonight.”</p>
<p>“Have you told Tucker? Does he know we’re coming over?” The goth asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I told him we’re coming and why. We need to get our stories straight and get some kind of plan for handling this. I have no idea what they’re going to want to do. We have to be back at my house for six.”</p>
<p>“<em>Danny</em>,” Sam sighed. “We’ll be there for you no matter what. Try not to worry. We’re not going to let anything happen to you. We’re a team. I’ll see you in 20.”</p>
<p>The halfa looked down at his now-silent phone. Somehow that second call was easier than the first. He wondered why. There was just something about talking to Sam that always made him feel better. She was a good friend; he was lucky to know her. Tucker too. He wondered briefly what he would have done without them and shuddered. <em>I never could have gotten this far alone…</em></p>
<p>A loud horn and the squealing of tires brought Danny back to the present. He had wandered into the intersection without looking. Instinctually, he went intangible and invisible. <em>Damn, that was close!</em> The car screeched to a stop, and the driver looked around bewildered. He would have sworn that there was a boy in the road. The man shook his head to clear it. Finally, assured that he was alone in the street, he went on his way. Danny stared at him through the glass and thanked the stars for his ghost powers. Without them, he might have become a full ghost tonight.</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>The awkward silence filling the room was only broken by the sounds of silverware and eating. Everyone kept casting furtive glances at one another. No one really had anything that they wanted to speak about at the table. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. The pizza was hot, but tasteless. Nobody really paid attention to their food. The trio was dreading the unavoidable confrontation that they knew was coming. The parents were determined to find out everything they could. It had the potential to be a very uncomfortable evening, if things didn’t go well.</p>
<p>An hour or so later, after the last dish was placed in the sink, Maddie spoke to everyone. “Why don’t we all go into the living room. I know we have questions, and we think you might have questions for us as well.” Danny, Tucker, and Sam shuffled their way out of the kitchen and found a seat on the couch. Maddie and Jack sat in the chairs opposite the teens.</p>
<p>Sam startled everyone when she raised her voice. “Exactly <em>what</em> are you planning to do to Danny? We aren’t going to let you hurt him!”</p>
<p>The female ghost hunter was taken aback. <em>They think we’re going to hurt our son?? </em>The thought sobered her, and she justified what she was planning in her thoughts. <em>We just have to find out what is really happening with him. Maybe we’ll  run some tests, well, definitely run those tests, be we won’t HURT him…what do they  </em>think<em> we’re planning?</em> She turned to her husband wordlessly.</p>
<p>Jack realized that the trio was scared…of them, and that he needed to reassure them. “Kids, no matter what, Danny is our son and it is our job to love him and take care of him. We are going to be very careful with everything we do. His emotional health is just as important as his physical health; that’s why everyone is here tonight- so Danny won’t be alone with the foolish people who threatened to take him apart molecule by molecule. And son, I am so sorry that I ever said those things to you. I didn’t know. I didn’t understand, hell, I still don’t understand. But I want to. Are you willing to help us?”</p>
<p>Danny turned to his friends, remembering their conversation at Tucker’s house. They had agreed that they would cooperate with the halfa’s parents, as long as they didn’t try anything nasty…like vivisection or something. Looking from Sam and Tucker over to his parents, he replied. “We will help and cooperate as best we can, but we have limits. We draw the line at anything painful or stupid, like trying to remove my powers. Those powers saved my life…again- just tonight. I will <em>not</em> give them up.”</p>
<p>Maddie looked at her son in shock. “I thought I told you no tangling with ghosts until after we had gotten a handle on this. What happened tonight?”</p>
<p>The teen gave a sarcastic huff. “What <em>nearly</em> happened was I almost got hit by a car. My ghost powers kicked in and saved me from my own carelessness…and, yeah, that does happen more than I would like to admit. So what do you want to do?”</p>
<p>Back in her element, the scientist replied. “We’d like for all of us to go down to the lab and run some basic scans and maybe some bloodwork. We need to see just how connected you are to your ghost half…and how. We might take some temperature readings, and have you transform for some other scans, but I promise honey, nothing painful, nothing dangerous. We’ll get just enough information to jumpstart our research. It’s almost a shame that you’re the only half-ghost out there. We don’t have any data to compare you to.”</p>
<p>Danny looked abashed. “Well…about that…I just found out that I’m <em>not</em> the only halfa that exists.”</p>
<p>Both elder Fentons simultaneously yelled “WHAT?!”</p>
<p>In astonishment, Maddie asked, “Who? Where? …And how did you find out??”</p>
<p>Jack continued, “And how come we’ve never seen this other half-ghost?”</p>
<p>Danny was uncomfortable talking about it, because he knew it was going to hurt his parents. He took a deep breath and forged on. “Well dad, I just met him last week…at your college reunion. I didn’t say anything because he threatened you, and said he would reveal my secret if I revealed his. I guess since you know about me now, it’s ok to tell you about him. His name is Vlad Plasmius, or Plasmius. At least that’s his ghost half. And he’s been a halfa for about 20 years, according to what he told me while he was beating the ever-living crap out of me. He is not a nice man, no matter what you remember. He’s let his ghost power corrupt him; I think. “I’m pretty sure he’s evil. Dad, Mom, this is going to be hard on you…because he was once your friend. You know him as Vlad Masters.”</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. VLAD</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Discussion is had. Repercussions are felt, and Maddie has a plan.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(End of chapter six) "....Dad, Mom, this is going to be hard on you…because he was once your friend. You know him as Vlad Masters.”</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>CHAPTER SEVEN: VLAD</p><p>“Vladdie!?!” Jack gaped in astonishment. “That…that can’t be right; that can’t be true. He would have told us! He would have told <em>me! </em> I’m his best friend. I thought I was his best friend. I thought he had forgiven me, but…but…I don’t know. <em>Danny,</em> are you SURE???”</p><p>The halfa sighed. “Yeah, Dad. I am sure. The a few days before the reunion, I intercepted three ghosts who were sent to…kill you. I didn’t know at the time who had sent them, but then I saw them again at Vlad’s house.”</p><p>Jack turned green. “Ki…kill me? Vladdie wouldn’t want to kill me! Why would he?? It just doesn’t make any sense…”</p><p>“Honey, think about it. He’s probably still bitter over that proto-portal accident. We did kind of abandon him afterwards. We weren’t good friends to him.” Tears of guilt pooled in the scientist’s eyes. “I don’t understand why he isn’t mad at me too, though…”</p><p>It was Danny whose face turned green this time- and not ghostly green. “Mom, he says he is in love with you. He wants us to be a…a family. Two halfas…and the scientist who helped create them.”</p><p>“Oh. Oh my. My god, he <em>what??</em>” Maddie whispered.</p><p>The teen swallowed. “He’s still got a thing for you, and he thinks Dad stole you from him. He doesn’t blame you for his accident because he thinks it was all due to Dad being reckless.” Turning to his father he continued. “He thinks you abandoned him in the hospital and took Mom’s heart while she was still in shock over what happened.”</p><p>Jack was devastated. “Vlad…” Head bowed, he stared at the floor. “Mads, how could I have screwed up so badly and not realized it? How could I have been such a horrible friend? My research ruined my best friend’s life, and now my son’s. I…”</p><p>“Jack Fenton, you stop right there!” Fire lit up the woman’s eyes. “I know that the accident was hard on Vlad, and while, yes, we did not stick by him like we should have. Look at him now! He’s a multi-billionaire who has almost everything he could ever want. So he doesn’t have <em>me</em> but I was never his in the first place!”</p><p>“And you didn’t ruin my life either, Dad!” Danny interjected. “I admit, when I first got my powers, it was hard, but now I have a purpose in life- and afterlife. I love my powers- the freedom that being a ghost offers, with all of the perks of being a living human too! You didn’t ruin me, Dad. You gave me a gift.”</p><p>“But honey,” the orange-clad scientist whispered. “He was my best friend and I failed him. What am I gonna do?”</p><p>Determined, Maddie lifted her husband’s chin with her hand and stared him in the eyes. “We’re going to do what we should have done in the first place. We are going to contact him, see if he is willing to meet with us and talk, and we are going to get this all out in the open and <em>deal with it.</em>” A dark look entered her eyes as she turned to her son. “And what was this about him beating the crap out of you, Danny?”</p><p>Called out, the halfa meekly answered. “We kind of got into a fight or two during the reunion. He beat me into unconsciousness once…then later locked me into a ghost-containing box. I just wasn’t strong enough to beat him, I guess.”</p><p>“Honey, <em>your</em> strength had nothing to do with it. I’m sure that with age, experience, and TRAINING, you will be more than a match for dear <em>Vladdie. </em>We are most definitely going to talk about his actions when we contact him. Whatever our mistakes were, he had no right to take retribution on our son.”</p><p>“At first, he didn’t know I was your son, Mom. He just thought I was some new ghost in town.”</p><p>“Danny, that doesn’t make what he did any more acceptable. He is going to see reason…if I have to beat it into him myself!”</p><p>The teens looked at one another. There was nothing left for them to say. There wasn’t anything more that <em>could</em>  be said. Danny’s mom had decided on a plan, and nothing was going to keep her from carrying it out. Now it was the time to prepare for the fallout that was sure to come. Danny did briefly wish he had more ghostly allies, and Plasmius would be a formidable one. But his parents made an incredible team when they prepared enough- ESPECIALLY his mother. And they were already on his side. He did not envy Vlad when the time came for him to face Maddie Fenton.</p><p>After a few moments of mutual contemplation, Tucker finally broke the silence. “Mrs. Fenton, if it’s alright with you guys, I think we could all use some coffee right about now.”</p><p>For a moment, everyone just stopped and took a deep breath to finish their thoughts on tonight’s revelations. Discarding solemnity for hospitality, Maddie smiled. “Of course dear. It won’t affect your sleep, though, will it?”</p><p>The teens all laughed at that. “If you only knew, Mom…”</p><p>Maddie turned to her son. “And don’t think you’re out of the woods yet, mister. We still need to get some good data on your new physiology and powers, and we are going to set some limits on this ghost fighting.” Looking at all three teens, she continued. “You’ve been ghost fighting for months now without any training. It’s time we remedied that. Let’s go get some coffee and finish this conversation. It's getting late.”</p><p>Everyone was a mixed bag of emotions as they went up the stairs into the kitchen. Jack was still deeply depressed; Maddie was fierce and determined. Danny was not looking forward to whatever his mom was planning to do to train him and his friends. Sam was thinking about what type of training Maddie might offer her; she wasn’t averse to learning martial arts, after all, and Tucker was grinning at the thought of openly working with Danny’s parents and their tech.</p><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p><p>Hundreds of miles away, in a dark room, lit only by monitors, a billionaire stared the now empty screen, not having any idea of what to feel. He, was, however, looking forward to Maddie’s phone call- and her challenge.</p><p>END CHAPTER SEVEN</p>
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